Perodua Ativa gains new ‘Subaru Rex’ cousin in Japan

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, dear reader. Yes, what you see are in fact the real deal – official images lifted off of Subaru’s Japanese website, not some bored artist’s digital render. Say hello, then, to the new Subaru Rex.

You may already know by now that, being based on the Daihatsu New Generation Architecture (DNGA) platform, the Perodua Ativa has several ‘twins’ on sale in other markets. Amongst them are the Toyota-badged Raize and Daihatsu-based Rocky. Well, this Subaru-badged Rex now makes it three.

Unlike the Perodua-badged offering, this Subaru-badged ‘cousin’ actually mirrors the base-spec Daihatsu Rocky instead, harnessing the same 1.2-litre 3-cyl mill plus CVT box powertrain package as well. Additionally, the Rex also mirrors the base-spec Rocky with its exterior, interior, and equipment list.

What’s un-typical of the Subaru brand in this new Rocky-based Rex is the fact that it doesn’t feature an all-wheel-drive (AWD) setup – as how all Subaru models usually do.

That’s because the Rex is produced by Daihatsu at its Shiga (Ryuo) Plant, whereby its production is limited to just 150 units a month. In contrast, that’s merely a fraction of the planned production figures Daihatsu and Toyota have set for their respective Rocky and Raize – 2,000 units and 4,100 units respectively.

According to Subaru, this new DNGA-based Rex will only be sold in its Japanese home market where its price starts from ¥ 1.82 million (approx. RM59,514.25), making it a relatively affordable offering there to say the least, just like its Perodua-badged cousin that’s sold here.